Technical Field
The present invention relates to network communications technology, and more particularly to a server apparatus or system, a request processing system, and a request processing method each of which is capable of processing a request requested by an operation apparatus for an electronic apparatus, and a non-transitory recording medium storing a processing request control program.
Background Art
If an electronic device is connected to a Local Area Network (LAN), an Internet Protocol (IP) address is allocated to the electronic device automatically using a protocol called Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP). In using DHCP, an IP address allocated to the electronic device is not always the same each time the electronic device communicates. Therefore, when a user requests an electronic device such as a Multi Functional Peripheral (MFP) to print from a terminal via the network, the user needs to check if the destination IP address of the request is correct and modify it if necessary.
To make the checking of the IP address easy, it is known to display connecting information such as the IP address used for connecting via a network on an easily visible control panel. Further, the connecting information such as the IP address may be displayed as a two-dimensional code readable by a camera or a scanner, etc. instead of being displayed as is on a control panel to be scanned.
For example, JP-2007-164448-A proposes an operational system including a MIP with a Web server function, and a cell phone with a Web browser function. In this operational system, if the MFP recognizes that a user is present nearby using a user recognition unit, the MFP generates an identification code and displays it on an identification code displaying unit after converting it to a QR code. When the MFP receives an instruction designating specific operation via an operation unit, the cell phone inputs the displayed QR code using an identification code input unit and accesses the MFP specified by a URL acquired by decoding the input QR code. Subsequently, the cell phone sends operation information that indicates the designated operation and the identification code acquired by decoding the input QR code. If the received identification code matches the displayed identification code, the MFP processes the operation indicated by the received operation information.
JP-2007-257179-A proposes a service providing system including a terminal, a server apparatus, and a mobile communication device. In this service providing system, the mobile communication device reads terminal identification information from a barcode using a camera unit or a barcode decoder and sends the terminal identification information to the server apparatus. The mobile communication device further sends content data such as a list of mail and mail body to the server apparatus in response to a request from the server apparatus. The server apparatus transfers the content data sent from the mobile communication device to the terminal.
Yet another technology of a printing system that provides service to print data from a mobile information device via a network has been proposed, for example, in JP-2006-185399-A. In this printing system, a service providing server issues a one-time ID and instructs a printing apparatus to print a two-dimensional code for commanding to print by using specified printing method designating the one-time ID. After reading this two-dimensional code, the mobile information device generates information for commanding to print and sends it to the service providing server via an e-mail requesting to print. After receiving the request to print, the service providing server generates a print image of digital image data obtained from the e-mail, sends it to the printing apparatus, and commands the printing apparatus to print.
In conventional technologies described above, a terminal can command an electronic apparatus to process a request via a network using an identification code such as a two-dimensional code. However, it is based on presumption that a terminal can access a target electronic device directly. Thus, these conventional technologies would not be available if electronic devices and terminals belong to different networks and direct communication cannot be established. While DHCP described above can establish communication between nodes that belong to the same network, the DHCP cannot establish communication directly between nodes that belong to different networks connected via a router, usually due to a firewall placed between the nodes belonging to the different networks.
In the technology described in JP-2007-164448-A, the MFP includes a Web server function, and it is assumed that direct communication between the mobile information device and the MFP via the network is established. However, in a typical corporate intranet, access to MFP inside the intranet from external global network is usually prohibited. In the technology described in JP-2007-257179-A, the server apparatus that receives requests from the terminal needs to request the mobile communication device to send the content data and transfer the content data sent from the mobile communication device to the terminal. The cell phone needs to have the ability to send content data to the server apparatus in response to requests issued by the server apparatus. In the technology described in JP-2006-185399-A, it is necessary to configure the printing apparatus so that it can receive the command to print from the service providing server that receives requests from the mobile information device.
Therefore, a technology that can construct an environment in which the terminal can send requests to command the electronic device has been desired, even in an environment in which the electronic device and the terminal belong to different networks and the terminal cannot directly communicate with the electronic device.